What's in my makeup bag 2015

The last time I wrote one of these blog posts was back in October 2012. Had I have known it was that long ago, I would have done this sooner.

Quite a few of the products have changed and since 2012 I have ditched the BB creams and powder and opted for a single foundation instead. There's an obvious distinction between summer and winter makeup too and it seems that I currently have a bareMinerals and Benefit obsession, but rather than babbling on, here's what I've been storing in my makeup bag in 2015 so far...



Rimmel Wake Me Up Make Up Foundation (£8.99/30ml) has actually been my go-to foundation for a couple of years now and I find it really hard to steer away. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't last the longest but it is great at giving skin a real boost in the mornings. It's super light and does give skin an instant flawless finish. I like to apply mine with a slightly damp makeup sponge (No7 Flawless Finish Sponge).

Benefit BADGal Lash Mascara (£17.50) is a product I received as a gift at Christmas. I'll admit, it's not really my mascara of choice but it's in my makeup bag as a backup and great for popping into your handbag on a night out.

Benefit Porefessional Primer (£22.05/22ml) I absolutely love this product but tend use it quite sparingly, on top of my makeup to stop any particularly greasy areas. This product is a true gem!

bareMinerals Original SPF15 Foundation (£22.50) is probably my most favourite foundation, ever, ever, ever! I was introduced to this around five years or so ago, by a PR friend who insisted that I give it a whirl. Despite being totally anti-powder, I was converted and I've re-purchased ever since!

Benefit Posietint (£22.50) is a bit of an undecided product for me. I like the idea of a tint but hate the shade and therefore, it gets used very rarely. If anyone wants to recommend any other tints with a slightly less than luminous shade, please let me know in the comments below.

Benefit Erase Paste Concealer and Highlighter (£18.45) is another product that I love which is great for masking pesky spots. Although the shade is slightly too dark for my skin tone, dabbing over with a sponge and setting with a little powder blends this concealer perfectly. 

Estée Lauder Advanced Time Zone Age Reversing Line/Wrinkle Cream (£54/50ml) is currently my moisturiser of choice. I recently blogged about this fab product and explained why I will be sticking with this it for some time. 

bareMinerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener (£22) was a product that I received as part of the bareMinerals Flawless Future Collection. To be honest, I find highlighters a slight waste of time (someone please tell me how to use this product more effectively) but I keep it in my make-up bag just in case. If you would like to read further, you can do so in my blog post here. 

bareMinerals Frame and Define Brow Styler (£13) is great for a quick fix. Although there isn't much else you can say, the brush on the end is perfect for taming unruly brows. 

Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara (£7.99/9.5ml) I don't want to say too much about this product, because I will be reviewing soon in my Mascara Monologues series. Maybelline claims that this product contains their first "layer reveal brush to capture the tiniest of lashes you didn't know you had" as well as claiming to volumise and define the look of longer lashes. Keep your eyes peeled soon...

L'Oreal Paris Touche Magique Concealer (£8.19) also took pride of place in my makeup bag in 2012 and providing L'Oreal doesn't discontinue it, it will very much remain as my go to concealer for another three years. 

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream (£25.50) this is a little sample pot I picked up off the internet, because I wanted to see if eye creams were worth the hype. Honestly, no they're not but it makes me feel better about myself knowing that I'm at least one step closer to minimising future wrinkles. 

Benefit Brow Zing (£24.50) a gift from my sister after she swore that this was the best eyebrow product to ever exist on the planet. It's pretty good, doesn't smudge or run and relatively easy to use. Because the brushes are quite small, it's a little fiddly, but nothing you won't get used to after a while. Shades are very limited however, the lightest of the three I find is quite dark for me. 

Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Eye Liner (£5.29) I have been using Rimmel's liquid eyeliner since white eyeliner, on the eyelid, coated in brightly coloured eye shadow went out of fashion in the early noughties (if you were born in the late 80s, you will remember this dreadfully embarrassing fashion statement in secondary school). As much as I have tried gel liner, pen liner and pencil, nothing gives that super sleek line like a liquid liner, which is why it is still very much one of my must-have daily makeup products. 

Revlon Colourburst Laquer Balm (£7.99) in my bid to wear more lip products, I purchased this. I suffer horrendously with dry lips in the winter and the Triple Butter Complex has been brilliant at allowing me to wear a lip colour, without drying too much. I would definitely recommend for anyone who wants an easy, daily colour to wear. 

Benefit "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer (£20.25) aside from Porefessional, this is my other favourite primer but instead I apply this to the whole of my face to act as a base. It smells a little like bubblegum, which makes it slightly more fun to wear and really helps makeup stick. 

La Roche-Posay Targeted Breakout Corrector (£9.50/15ml) I blogged about this product back in February in my Best Beauty Products for Blemishes post and raved about how quick-acting this was at diminishing blemishes. This is still a favourite product of mine a year later. 

Max Factor Masterpiece Transform Mascara (£9.99) I have been using this mascara for some time. My favourite part is the brush - it's small which means it coats all of those tiny lashes you usually miss and perfect for bottom lashes too.

Maybelline Line Refine Expression Soft Kohl Liner (discontinued) your pretty standard black, pencil eyeliner which I believe, might have been discontinued. Not a huge wow product - what you see, is what you get. 

Eco Tools Bamboo Domed Bronzer Brush (£9.99) I really like Eco Tools make up brushes mostly because they're quite natural. They're 100% cruelty-free, the handles are made from bamboo and the bristles are extremely plush. They really are a lovely brush to use and don't cost you the earth to purchase!

So there we go, there are a lot of products in my makeup bag at the moment. I'd love to see what you keep in your makeup bag, so please leave links below! 

Grey is the new black

Firstly I want to apologise for using the stock image – I had the worst time trying to photograph this product. In fact, I didn’t even get as far as photographing it because I managed to smash it all over my kitchen floor, sending grey paint flying everywhere. I did, however, manage to get a sneaky shot of my nails after I had painted them. Apologies again for the lighting, it was taken just before bedtime and I wasn’t planning on using this photo at all.

Despite my mishap I still wanted to share this product with you because I absolutely adore the colour grey. I love how versatile it is and how it allows you to tone it down for daytime chic as well as mixing it up for night time glam. Either way the colour grey is hot and looks even hotter on nails too.

Maybelline’s Colour Show nail polish in Cool Touch is fantastic for wearing day and night. It has a slight blue-grey tone to it, neither looking too dark or light and will suit any skin tone too. After two coats it is fully opaque and it has a pretty good shelf life. It is safe to say that this colour has certainly made its way onto my list of summer shades, despite now having to repurchase again because of my clumsiness!

I bought Maybelline Colour Show nail polish in Cool Touch for £2.99/7ml from Boots.

Can you recommend any other grey colours that I should add to my collection? Leave your comments below!

The Mascara Monologues: Maybelline Big Eyes Mascara

So, February’s Glossybox arrived and out jumped this beaut – Maybelline’s Big Eyes Mascara. A mascara that comes with two brushes in one – one for your upper lashes and another for lower lashes.

Upper lash wand 

Lower lash wand

 

Back when I was working as a beauty writer I remember Clinique launching their lower lash mascara and although it wasn’t a massive hit, I remember thinking what a brilliant idea. It seems a shame that this one followed in its footsteps.

Maybelline mascara’s are usually pretty good, most of which live up to their claims, so it seems such a shame that this one left me slightly disappointed. Claiming to push up upper lashes for a wide, volumised effect and magnify lower lashes, I was so gutted that I found it really hard to work with. Don’t get me wrong, the upper lash wand is great but what it really lacks power in, is the amount of product it uses. It barely applies any and three coats later, I was just about fine. The biggest downfall was the lower lash wand. I struggled to apply product to the lashes because it felt like it was just gliding over them rather than actually applying. The ability for it to have a lasting effect is also its downfall. By the end of the day, I might as well of not been wearing any. A shame when I had super high hopes.

Don’t get me wrong, despite my review I will not give up on Maybelline mascara. Other versions have been fantastic – in fact Maybelline Great Lash Mascara was my go-to mascara for years. Needless to say you can buy Maybelline Big Eyes Mascara from most drug stores £8.99/9ml.

Have you tried Maybelline Big Eyes Mascara? How did you find it? Can you recommend any others that are similar?

Rounding up 2013

The year 2013 has been a pretty good year to me and I’m proud to say that I will be heading into 2014 will some fantastic memories.

This year I’ve celebrated numerous engagements, a marriage and a birth. I’ve gained new friends and spent more time with those who I have known for years. I’ve laughed a lot, cried a little and finally feel as if my feet are firmly on the ground.

Along with all of this, I’ve also discovered some fantastic beauty products too. They haven’t always been new, in fact some are old time essentials that I wish I discovered sooner. So here’s my round up of some of my best loved beauty products of 2013…

Maybelline Baby Lips

Quite possibly my favourite lip product of all time, this year this little gem became a real staple for any beauty junkie. It’s perfect handbag sized, affordable and truly nourishes lips and to be perfectly honest, I won’t go anywhere without it. To read my full blog review on Maybelline Baby Lips, click here.

The foundation brush

Okay, I’ll admit. Before summer 2013, I had never owned a foundation brush (I was more of a sponge-applicator lover) but after seeing how flawless my sister’s skin was after applying her make up, I got make up envy.

The first foundation brush I purchased was by Eco Tools from Boots and I loved it. I was so impressed at how little product I was using and yet coverage on my skin had improved – with a couple of simple sweeps, my skin looked flawless and surprisingly lasted a lot longer than it ever did before.

I’m not that experienced when it comes to make up brushes, which is why I’ve promised to invest in a decent, worthy set in 2014.

L’Oreal Skin Perfection Day Moisturiser

I blogged about this moisturiser not that long ago (in fact you can read it here) and it has completely transformed the health of my skin. I relied on an intense daily moisturiser that gave protection again daily stresses like pollution, sun and wind damage, but I had never realised that hydration was actually what my skin needed.  

Since using this product, my face looks brighter, healthier and my complexion has improved. I love the texture and although it feels quite heavy when applying, it actually sinks into skin quickly and feels extremely light. This is definitely a repeat product that I will carry on purchasing into 2014.

Nails inc.

Last but not least, my favourite nail brand of the year. The bright bods at Nails Inc. have bought us so many types of nail polish this year, from lettered nail art and beads to gel finishes and feather effects. Although they seem quite pricey on first look, I’ve never known a Nails Inc. polish to go gloopy or stringy and lasting a lot longer than any other polish I own.

In 2014 I hope to discover many other beauty products like these and share them with you. I’ve promised myself to up my blogging game and blog as often as I can (expect a post a week)!

In the meantime, I would like to wish all readers of Jade’s Beauty Blog, a very happy New Year.

Maybelline Baby Lips

I recently had a bit of a haul in Boots and ended up spending a fortune on a huge range of products. One of those products was the much raved about Baby Lips from Maybelline. Yes, that's right I jumped on the Baby Lips bandwagon!

I'm sure you're all thinking the same as what I was - but its a lip balm, what's the big deal - and to be fair my opinion remains the same. But the fact that it was a Japanese and US only product gives it its exclusivity.

I'll be honest and admit, the reason I picked up this product was because my lips had become dry, cracked and sore in the sudden change in the weather and I was on a mission to fix them before they became a horrible mess. I picked up the moisturising lip balm and was quite impressed at the results.

Promising 8 hour hydration, it's actually a really good lip balm. The packaging is colourful and fun and rather than coming in a tiny pot that gets lost in your bag, it comes with a roll stick for quick application.

I would definitely consider buying another product from the range, and for £2.99 (Boots) each, it's definitely worth every penny.

For more information on Baby Lips products, visit www.maybelline.co.uk.

Maybelline Forever Strong Pro in Dark Denim

I love the Olympics. I mean, literally LOVE! When that time comes around every four years, I'm fixated to my TV. So I felt I should show how patriotic I am, through my nails.

Maybelline Forever Strong Pro Polishes are one of my favourite nail polish brands. The colours pop and the paint lasts a lot longer than most others I've tried.

I bought mine for £4.09 from Boots.

The Mascara Monologues: Maybelline Falsies Black Drama Mascara

This is the first of many posts in my Mascara Monologues and boy I've started with a good'un.

Maybelline are well known for their quirky, brightly coloured and beautifully packaged mascaras. But unlike other Maybelline mascaras, the Falsies Black Drama comes with a new formula. Containing extra long fibres and carbon black pigments, it sets out to give lashes a full on, false lash effect. 

The brush is slightly different to your average. Instead it's curved upwards like a spoon. According to description it's to help fan out your lashes and ensure even coverage of the product.

After one coat and a full day's wear

Even after one coat it gives eyelashes a beautiful length and a subtle false lash effect. Maybelline claims that this mascara doesn't clump, but I wouldn't necessarily agree. When I removed the wand from the tube, the brush looked too full of product and I ended up having to wipe of a lot of excess. Also, it's not so strong on bottom lashes - it takes quite a few coats to make them stand out.

However, I'd most definitely recommend it for everyday wear. I think I bought it was around £8, which is a good price for a high street brand.

What are your thoughts on the Maybelline Falsies Black Drama Mascara? Are there any mascaras you'd recommend?

MNY

The sister brand of Maybelline, MNY launched in the UK during August this year. Aimed at the 15-25 year old age group, MNY combines fun, style, colour and creativity.

Here I'm wearing just one of the colours from the nail polish collection - number 264. This photograph isn't a good representation of the colour - it's more of a deeper shade.

PR sample

Maybelline Forever Strong in Rosy Sand

Following on from Thursday's post my NOTD is this cute cappuccino colour from Maybelline. I have been wearing this since Saturday and it hasn't yet chipped, which is absolutely fab because I chip my polish after a couple of hours usually.

Please ignore the state of my nails, I'm having huge problem with them breaking at the moment, so if you have any tips they'd be much appreciated!

Maybelline Forever Strong Pro Nudes

l-r Ivory Rose, Nude Rose, Rose Poudre, Rosy Sand and Taupe Couture
If you know me well, then you know I love a good nude/pink nail polish. You only have to look at my collection and you'll spot a running trend. Therefore how excited was I to see that Maybelline were introducing a nude collection of nail polishes just in time for spring.

There are five colours in the collection ranging from a light pale pink to a dark brown, with each one individually chosen by nail expert David Barton.

I had a go at all five and each of the colours are absolutely gorgeous. To make them fully opaque you will definitely need two coats on each and possibly even three with Taupe Couture.

Each polish is £4.09 and the whole range will be available to buy from March